Despite Christian Horner Being Unconcerned With Mercedes Resurgence, Lewis Hamilton Rides on Confidence Wave: “Closer to the Red Bulls”

After a below-average 2022 season that saw them finish third—behind Red Bull and Ferrari—in the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes looks like they’re on their way to competing at the front of the field again. Well, almost at the front. Red Bull is in a league of their own, and chasing them down might just be impossible.

The 2022 season brought with it an overhaul of regulation changes to F1. Mercedes—who dominated the turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2021, winning the Constructors’ crown every one of those eight years—didn’t quite hit the mark with their new car. Their unusual form seemed to continue into 2023, with only one podium in six races. That is, until the Spanish GP, where they scored a double podium for the first time since Brazil 2022, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second and George Russell finishing third. 

Is Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s result at the Spanish GP an early sign of a resurgence?

F1 cars are developed throughout the year, with teams bringing new updates every few races. And Mercedes got a new set of upgrades for the Spanish GP. Barcelona has always been a good track for Mercedes. Hamilton’s 10 podium finishes there before 2023 only attests to the same. With the new upgrades, they were hoping for a good race weekend. And they got one.

Given that their main competitors for a P2 finish this season are Aston Martin and Ferrari, they were hoping for at least one podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. With mixed feelings after qualifying—Hamilton qualifying P5 and Russell qualifying P12—the race turned out better than expected. Their P2 and P3 finishes added 33 points to their tally, taking them to a total of 152 points.

Read More: After a Stellar Double Podium, Lewis Hamilton Unveils the Major Influence of the Mercedes W14 Pace: “Helped Us Get on the Right Track”

According to the seven-time World Champion, “This result is definitely what we’re working towards.” The double podium saw the Brackley-based team overtake Aston Martin for P2 in the Constructors’ standings. With confidence running high in the team, is a win in the cards for them this season?

Christian Horner isn’t worried about Mercedes’ upgrades

The fact that Red Bull has won seven of the seven races this season only confirms the obvious. They undeniably have the fastest car on the grid. They are the benchmark. While other teams are bringing new upgrades, so is Red Bull. And these upgrades are only making them more unbeatable. 

In Mercedes’ best race of the season so far, Max Verstappen achieved his third Grand Slam (pole position, race win, led every lap, fastest lap). Despite the upgrades, Mercedes is nowhere close to the level of performance Red Bull has. And Lewis Hamilton agrees.

After the Spanish GP, Hamilton said, as quoted by Gazzetta.it, they are “getting closer to the Red Bulls, who are still a long way off, but we are continuing to chase them.” While fighting them for the Constructors’ Championship might not be possible this season, he hopes to “get closer by the end of the year.”

Even though the upgrades have significantly impacted Mercedes’ performance, Christian Horner is unfazed by them. When asked if he was worried about Mercedes catching up to them, he dismissed the thought by saying, “They were still 23 seconds behind at the end of the race.”

Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton Gets Past Flashbacks Against George Russell at the 2023 Spanish GP

Red Bull’s looking to make it a century of wins at the upcoming Canadian GP in Montreal. Do you think they’ll achieve it there? And will it come courtesy of their most successful driver, or will his teammate, Sergio Perez, rise to the challenge and revitalize his chances at winning the Championship?